At least 14 people were killed and 3 individuals were injured after a fire ripped through an apartment complex in central Hanoi, Vietnam on early Friday. Toxic fumes and smoke billow out of the building in the Cau Giay district which is densely populated in Hanoi, after the fire broke out at 12:30 AM (local time). It remains unclear how many were inside when the fire broke out.

Rescue workers had to force their way inside, they broke locals of the external gate, and smashed windows to rescue the seven people who were trapped inside, reported AFP. Neighbours said that they heard explosions similar to firecrackers. They also said that they heard screams coming from inside the building and bright flames rising up through the cracks of the building’s corrugated metal roof. 

Hanoi police in their statement said that the fire grew quickly and destroyed motorbikes, bikes electric bicycles, and bicycles in the yard. They said around 1:26 AM, the fire had been completely extinguished, and rescue workers had rescued 14 dead people.

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According to AFP, the building consisted of two interconnected blocks, one with two storeys and one with three. It is situated down a two-metre-wide alley and had 12 rooms for rent. There was a courtyard reportedly used for selling and fixing electric bicycles.

Neighbours tried to douse the flames by pouring buckets of water on the roof but the fire only rose. 

The ministry said it is investigating the cause behind the fire, the victims of which are yet to be identified.

There have been several fires at in the country, often at entertainment venues. In Vietnam’s deadliest fire in two decades, 56 people died, 3 were children, in a Hanoi apartment block blaze last September. 

Last year, 32 people were killed and 17 were injured at a karaoke bar in Ho Chi Minh City.